Process of curing meat and composition therefor



United States Patent 3,215,540 PROCESS OF CURING MEAT AND COMPOSITION THEREFOR Eugen Wierbicki and Milton G. Tiede, Waterloo, Iowa, assignors to The Rath Packing Company, Waterloo, Iowa, a corporation of Iowa No Drawing. Filed Nov. 2, 1962, Ser. No. 235,119 5 Claims. (Cl. 99-222) This disclosure is a continuation-in-part of our earlier filed application, Serial No. 808,909, filed April 27, 1959, now US. Patent No. 3,134,678.

This invention relates to an improved process for preparing cooked, cured meats such as vacuum sealed canned and smoked hams.

Hams are normally cured by pumping arterially with a pickle solution and immersing them in a similar pickle solution for two days to a week or more. The pickle solution usually consists of salt, sugar, sodium nitrate, sodium nitrite and an alkaline phosphate salt such as sodium tripolyphosphate, sodium pyrophosphate, or disodium phosphate. The addition of the phosphate salt to the pickling solution substantially improves the yield of the cured meat product after cooking. It has the ability to bind the water or soluble protein in the meat so that it does not so readily escape during cooking. The resultant prodnet is more juicy, has a higher yield, and is tender and of superior appearance because it does not shrink as much in cooking.

The alkaline phosphate salts, although providing improvement in the cooked meat yield, present certain dis advantages which are detrimental to the cured meat. During storage and after cure the disodium phosphate crystallizes out of the meat to impart a surface appearance resembling ground glass. Sodium tripolyphosphate forms crystalline whiskers on the surface of the meat and occasionally imparts a flat (low intensity) cured color to the meat, particularly during prolonged storage. Sodium tripolyphosphate also imparts occasionally what has been referred to as a fishy flavor to the meat.

It is the object of this invention to provide an improved pickling solution and curing process for fresh meats, which gives the improved meat yields, with solutions containing tripolyphosphate, sodium pyrophosphate and/ or disodium phosphate without the disadvantages attendant on the use of these compounds.

Another object is to provide an improved pickling solution which is from 50% to 75% lowerin cost than comparable phosphate materials used at the present time.

Another object is to provide an improved pickling solution which imparts enhanced flavor and color to the cured meat and which is sterilizing in its eifect.

These and other objects and advantages can be achieved by adding to the conventional pickling solution an alkali hydroxide or an alkali bicarbonate or carbonate in combination wit-h a small quantity of alkali citrate or citric acid. The conventional pickling solution used in the industry contains about 15 to 18% sodium chloride, 1 to 3% sugar and 0.1% to 0.2% of a soluble nitric oxideforming salt (sodium nitrate and sodium nitrite). To this Well known, basic pickling solution is added from 0.5 to 2.0% sodium hydroxide, or from 1.0 to 2.5% sodium bicarbonate or sodium carbonate together with from ice 0.25% to 1.0% of sodium citrate. The sodium citrate is added first for sequestering the alkaline earth metals of the pickle. The percentages set forth in this specification and in the appended claims are by weight based upon the total Weight of the pickling solution. The solution preferably is pumped into the meat arterially or intramuscularly so that the meat has absorbed about 10% additional weight.

We have also found that sodium hydroxide without citrate ion may be used as the additive for the basic pickling solution. Sodium hydroxide provides all the advantages of the hydroxide-citrate additive over sodium tripolyphosphate, although it is slightly inferior to the hydroxide-citrate additive with respect to texture and yieldout-of-can of the finished meat product.

The pumped meat, hams for example, is then placed in a vat and covered with a curing cover pickle, contain- I ing 12% sodium chloride, 2% sugar, and allowable amounts of sodium nitrate (0.1%) and sodium nitrite (0.15%). The meat is left in this cover pickle for five days for the equilibration of salt and other curing ingredients within the meat substance and to develop the desired cured meat color. (The meat will have increased in weight from 10 to 15% by reason of the added brine.) After five days in the cover pickle, the meat is removed and bulked in 40 to 45 F. cooler for removing the cover pickle physically adhered to the surface of the meat. The addition of the pickling solution should increase the pH of the meat to within the range of 6.3 to 6.8 after the cure has been completed.

A preferred pickling solution consists of the basic formulation containing salt, sugar, sodium nitrite and sodium nitrate plus 1.0 to 1.5% sodium hydroxide and 0.25 to 0.50% sodium citrate. This solution has a pH of from 11 to 12. The presence of the sodium hydroxide is very effective in killing bacteria in the pump pickle which may be spread to the meat from the pumping apparatus. When added in the quantity of about 10% by weight it will raise the pH of the cured meat to around 6.5. The sodium hydroxide may be replaced with sodium carbonate or sodium bicarbonate. In such case, however, a larger quantity of the carbonate must be used to obtain the desired elevation in pH, say 1.8 to 2%. The amount of citrate used with the carbonates is preferably from 0.7 to 1%.

When NaOH is used as the only additive the pickle is clear (no precipitate) and the pH runs in the range of 11.5 to 12.0 (0.7 to 1.5% NaOH in the solution). This pickle is practically sterile (3 and 5 counts per 1 ml.) and raises the pH of the cured meat to a pH of about 6.5 to -6.7. When the injection-pump technique is used for dispersing the pickle solution through the meat the distribution of the pickle within the meat tissue is sufficiently uniform so that a pH of below 7 prevails in all sections of the meat. This indicate-s that all of the hydroxyl ions introduced into the meat were neutralized to water and salt by the meat tissue. The concentration of the NaOH solution is inversely proportional to the weight added by pumping.

The fresh meat product such as pork ham, pork shoulder, ham pieces or other out is pumped with the curing solution, cured by immersion in the cover pickle specified above, and processed as a vacuum sealed canned or fully cooked (non-canned) smoke product. Products prepared in this manner do not exhibit any of the undesirable salt crystallization or discoloration which seems to be inherent in the use of the alkali phosphates of the prior art.

Citric acid may be added to the brine in place of sodium citrate if desired. Either sodium citrate or citric acid 4 EXAMPLE I To illustrate the improved water retention and improved quality properties of the cured meat of the invention as compared with a similar product prepared dissolves in the brine solution to form citrate ions. The 5 from a curing brine containing tripolyphosphate citrate i Starve as a sequestering agent for calcmm i following tests were conducted. A basic brine solution magnfislum Ions normally preient i the meat. and m was prepared containing 30 pounds of Elixator Brine" tap by formlng h? f i the Calcmm f (26% sodium chloride solution made by extracting a magnesmm t prevent Preclpltanon of insoluble calculi, rock salt with tap water until the saturation point of soand magnesium carbonates. When sodium carbonate 1s dium Chloride) 155 pounds of tap Water pound used with the sodium citrate in accordance with this inof Sunar (sucrse) 107 Ounces of sodium nitrite and vention it is desirable to employ a demineralized water oucnca of Sodium; nitrate" To one portion of the basic Father than tap and Pure grade of pick-1e solution, 1.6 pounds (3.3% in the total brine) of ride so that no addit onal carbonates are present in the tripolyphosphate was added This is referred to as solutlon. Any quantity of carbonates 1n excess of those Pickle Pickle was prepared by adding 145 added will tax the sequestering ability of the citrate anions grams (07%) of Sodium citrate and 371 grams 03%) and a calcium carbonate precipitate may form. Th1s 1s f sodium bicarbonate pickle c was Prepared by undesirable because any precipitate of this k1nd Wlll dding 72.0 grams (0.35%) of sodium citrate and 165 (110% D the P p q p The addltloh 0f elttete grams (0.8%) of sodium hydroxide pellets. Sixteen ions to the Pickle improves both the flavor and the pairs of hams were treated wherein Pickle A (left hams), tllfe 0f the cured meat P Presumably the fi as a control, were checked directly against Pickle B and texture imparted by reason Of the addition Of SOdlIlm against Pickle C (right hams), The hams were pumped citrate is the result of the bridging of meat muscle protein arterially to add about 10% by weight of the pickling molecules by combining with the calcium ions naturally brine, which contains about 20% total solids. They were associated with the muscle protein. then covered with the cover pickle, described previously, The sodium citrate and sodium hydroxide may be for five days, followed by two days buckling in a cooler added directly to the brine at any point during its preparaat 40 to 45 F. tion since these compounds are readily soluble in water. Eight of the sixteen pairs of the hams were skinned, In this respect the present brine composition is superior 3O boned, vacuum sealed, and cooked in a water retort until to those containing the alkali phosphates such as sodium 150 F. internal temperature was attained. The cooking tripolyphosphate since it must be separately dissolved continued for an additional minutes after the internal before adding to the brine. temperature of 150 F. had beenreached in order to However, in the case of sodium bicarbonate and soassure 150 F. temperature throughout all ham sections. dium carbonate brines, sodium citrate must be dissolved These are referred to in Table I as VC canned hams. The first in the brine, prior to the additions of sodium biother eight paired hams were cooked While smoking in a carbonate or sodium carbonate. This allows sodium Smokehouse until the internal temperature of 150 F. citrate to form soluble complexes with calcium and mag- (referred to as fully cooked S.S. smoked hams) was atnesium ions of the brine, thus making them unavailable tained. The hams were then checked for the yields, for the formation of insoluble carbonates following the moisture content, pH, flavor and texture. The results additions of sodium bicarbonate or sodium carbonate to are set forth in Table I. Each value is the average of the brine. several samples.

Table l Pumping Pickle Cured Meat Product Quality Factor A B C (Bicar- (Hydroxide- (TPP) bonate Citrate) Citrate) Fully Cooked 8.8. 1. Percent pumped 10. 7 10. 2 10.0 Smoked Hams. 2. Percent gain after 5 days 13.1 13.2 13.4

curing in cover pickle. 3. Percent yield of the finished 96 4 94 7 96.0

product compared to the green weight. 4. Percent total moisture 72.1 71.7 72.2 5. 1 11 6. 44 6.80 6.50 6. lavor 3.70 3. 69 3.90 7. Texture 3.80 3.82 3.82 VC Canned Hams 1. Percent pump 10.4 10. 2 9.8 y 2. Percent gain after 5 days 12.3 13.1 12.7

curing. 3. Percent gain after curing 9.5 10.8 10.5

and 2 days bulking. 4. Percent yield of the finished 99.0 100.3 98.5 product. 68.1 5. Percent total moisture 66.9 64.7 6. pH 6.37 6.60 s. 48 7. Flavor 3. 4.01 3. 93 8. Texture 1 3. 96 4. 00 3. 97

1 Numerical Scores for Flavor and Texture as Scored by Test Panel: 5.0 perfect; 4.5

The

EXAMPLE II The experiment of Example I was repeated on twelve paired hams, of approximate weight of pounds each, processed as vacuum cooked oval canned hams. The

left hams were pumped to 10% weight of the green hams 5 with the tripolyphosphate pump Pickle A, described in Example I. The right hams were subdivided into three groups, four hams each, and pumped with the following three test pump pickles, in which the concentrations of 10 salt, sugar, sodium nitrate and sodium nitrite were the same as in the control Pickle A, but 3.3% tripolyphosphate was replaced by the following ingredients.

Pickle B-2:

185 grams (0.9%) sodium citrate, and 371 grams (1.8%) sodium bicarbonate. Pickle D:

51.5 grams (0.25%) sodium citrate, and 247.5 grams (1.2%) sodium hydroxide pellets. Pickle E:

103 grams (0.5%) sodium citrate, and 247.5 grams (1.2%) sodium hydroxide pellets.

These hams were tested for yield and quality characteristics of the finished products and the results are set forth in Table II:

Table II VC OVAL CANNED HAMS Pumping Pickle Quality Factor B-2 D E A (Bicar- (Hydroxide (Hydroxide (TPP) bonate Citrate) 2x Citrate) Citrate) 1. Total bacterial count per gram pump pickle 820-120 87 3-7 4-8 2. Percent pumpecL. 9.6 9.8 9.8 10.2 3. Percent gain after 5 days curing in cover pickle 9.3 11.5 10.5 11.6 4. Percent gain after curing and 2 days bulking 9. 0 8. 5 10. 5 11. 4 5. Total protein lost into the cover pickle, grams per gallon 20.2 6.6 6.6 7 3 6. Percent can purge. 10. 9 12. 7 11. 0 8 7 7. Percent yield of the finished product 97. 0 95. 7 97.8 101. 1 8. Total moisture,

percent 70. 4 69. 4 69. 7 71. 9 97 pH 6.29 6.47 6.38 6.54 :0 10. Salt, percent..-" 2.88 3. 01 3.34 3.46 U 11. Sugar,perce11t 0.40 0. 40 0.43 0.34 12. Free NaNO p.p.m 56 73 135 155 13. Flavor 2 3.68 3.72 3.80 3.72 14. Texture I 3.91 3.92 4.06 4.05

1 One gallon cover pickle was used to cover 2 hams, 10 pounds each. 2 Explanation given in Table I.

It will be apparent from the data (Tables I and II) that the hams prepared in accordance with this invention 60 are equal to or better (Pickles D and E) in water retention to those prepared using prior art pickling solutions (Pickle A). Moreover, the data indicate conclusively that the flavor, texture and color have also been improved.

It was entirely unexpected that by adding the sodium citrate in combination with the alkali hydroxide or carbonates these advantages would occur while at the same time retaining the improved yield of the prior art pickling solutions, without the disadvantages thereof (surface crystals, etc.). Also unexpected is the fact that these results can be achieved at a reduction in the cost of the new pickling solution ranging from 50 to as compared to the cost of sodium tripolyphosphate. The phosphate salts are more expensive than the ingredients of the invention and must be used in larger quantities to produce equivalent eifects in cured meat yield. A cost comparison is set forth in Table III below:

Table III RELATIVE COST OF PICKLE BRINES 1 The cost of the 'IPP in the Control A Pickle is taken as the reference cost=%. The cost of the main pickle ingredients (salt, sugar, NaNO 2 and NaNOa), which are present in the same concentrations in all pickles, are not considered in this calculation.

It is also of great importance that the pump Pickles D and E, containing sodium hydroxide and sodium citrate, are practically free of bacteria, due to the high pH of these brines, thus eliminating the bacterial contamination of the product during the curing procedure ofhams with these pump pickles.

The fact that the finished hams pumped with the pickling solutions C, D and E are of an acceptable pH, which is below the neutral pH of 7.0, indicates that the free hydroxyl ions of these pickling solutions have been neutralized to water by the meat substance during the processing and do not exist in free form in the finished product.

It will be noted from Table II that after removal of the pumped hams from the curing pickle, the hams pumped with the conventional Pickle A have lost three times as much soluble proteins into the curing pickle than did the hams pumped within the Pickles B2, D and E. These soluble proteins represent the meat pigment-bearing protein, myoglobin, and the flavor-bearing proteins of pork meat, which are lost to a greater extent from the hams processed with the prior pickling solution (A), than the hams processed by the new pump pickles (13-2, D and E).

The finished product processed with the pickling solutions of the invention (B-2, D and E) contain from 50 to greater quantity of free sodium nitrite than the product processed with the conventional pickle A. The presence of free sodium nitrite in the cured meat products is important for preventing the deterioration of the cured meat pigment during storage of the finished product or during its display in a show case.

Several samples of smoked ham were stored in plastic bags in a 30 F. cooler for 3 /2 weeks. The ham samples, processed by the conventional tripolyphosphate pump pickle A showed evidence that phosphate crystals, embedded in the meat, had been formed during this storage period. No such crystalline precipitate throughout the meat structure was observed in the ham samples processed with the improved pump pickles (B, B-2, D and E) described herein.

EXAMPLE III To determine the effect of a sodium hydroxide pickle on the quality of a cured ham the following tests were made. An aqueous pickle solution containing 12 /z% salt, 2% sugar, 1000 p.p.m. each of NaNO and NaNO and 1% NaOH (pH 11.82) was injecto-pumped into chilled green hams in the amount of 20% by weight. For comparison, complementary hams were pumped with the same solution except that 2.5% commercial sodium tripolyphosphate (TPP) was used as the pH modifier instead of the sodium hydroxide. The solution had a pH of 8.85. The hams were smoked at low temperature to reduce the amount of added weight to 8%. After smoking the hams were chilled, properly sectioned and canned into 3 pound tins, vacuum sealed, and cooked. The

effect of cooking temperature on the pH and the shrinkage is set forth in the following table:

8 were chilled by cold water to-45 -F., stored in 45 F. cooler and subjected to customary quality evaluations.

Table IV NaOH Pickle Cured Hams TPP Pickle Cured Hams Cooking Temp., F. Outside Knuckle Outside Knuckle Percent pH Percent pH Percent pH Percent pH Shrink Shrink Shrink Shrink N err-cooked cured meat 6. 75 0 6. 78 0 6. 0 6.

3. 2 6. 75 2.0 6. 75 6.0 5. 95 5. 2 6.18 4. 0 6. 72 3. 6 6. 70 10.0 5. 95 8. 8 6. 18 8.0 6. 70 7. 2 6. 68 18.0 5. 98 16. 0 6. 20 10. 4 6. 68 8. 0 6. 65 27. 2 5. 99 25. 2 6. 22 10. 4 6. 62 10. 0 6. 63 37. 2 6. 00 36. 0 6. 25 185 16. 0 6. 88 12. 4 6. 60 39. 2 6. 05 37. 2 6. 212 (Boiling Water) 18.0 6. 49 14. O 6. 58 44. 0 6. 08 42. 0 6. 38

The percentage of shrinkage was determined by the loss in weight of a 25 gram sample of lean muscles, in duplicate, after one hour heating at the temperature indicated, and is calculated on the total weight of the sample.

A flavor and texture evaluation was made on the duplicate samples of canned hams heat processed at 165 F. in water followed by 15 minutes at 240 F. After 18 days in cold storage the hams treated with NaOH pickle had a flavor and texture factor substantially equal to those treated with TPP. The slicing quality and firmness of the NaOH hams were judged superior to the TPP hams. The bacterial count of the NaOH hams was found to be lower than the TPP hams.

EXAMPLE IV To demonstrate the usefulness of sodium hydroxide pickle for injecto-pump curing method without the use of cover pickle cure the following tests were made. An aqueous solution containing 12.4% salt, 0.8% sugar, 1000 p.p.m. each of NaNO and NaNO was used as the basic cure. Three lots, 750 pounds each, of this basic cure were made into the final pump pickles by adding 2.5% commercial tripolyphosphate (TPP) (control pickle), or 0.7% sodium hydroxide (test pickle l), or 0.7% sodiurn hydroxide plus 0.25% sodium citrate (test pickle 2) as the pH modifiers. The resulting pickles had a pH of 8.22, 11.90 and 11.85, and the total bacterial count of 300, 8, and 5 cells/g. pickle, respectively. The pickles were then injecto-pumped into chilled green, deboned hams, 50 hams/group, in the amount of 20% by weight.

Following the pumping the hams were bulked for 1 day in a cooler, smoked at low temperature to reduce the amount of the added moisture to 8%, chilled, sectioned, canned as 3 lbs. oval canned hams, vacuum sealed, and subjected to the pasteurization thermal treatrnent in a water retort to the internal temperature of 150 F. After cooking the cans (125 samples/group) The results of this investigation are summarized in the following table:

Table V Hams processed with the pickles: Quality Factor n Control Test 1 Test 2 Grain purge (shrink), percent 12 13. 0 10. 2 10. 2 (a) Ham meat 10 6.20 6. a4 6. 44 (b) Purged gelatin 10 6.21 6.25 6.33 Residual nitrite, p.p.m

(a) 4 day cold storage 2 53 125 (b) 35 day cold storage 2 25 68 58 (c) day cold storage. 2 15 45 45 Flavor score 2 8 3. 74 3. 78 3. 74 Texture score 2 8 3. 76 3. 79 3. 82 Incubation stability at 1 F percent swollen cans:

(a) After 10 days 40 12. 5 5. 0 7. 5 (b) After 30 days 40 45. 0 37. 5 25.0

1 n=Quantity of cans per group used for the tests. 1 Explanation given in Table I.

As the results indicate, the sodium hydroxide pickles gave highly acceptable products regarding the flavor and texture of the hams. The slicing quality and firmness of the NaOH hams were judged superior to the TPP hams. This refers also to the yield of the hams after opening the cans (lower cooking shrink) and to the can stability during incubation at F. The higher degree of incubation stability of the test hams was due to the sterility of the test pickles and the higher content of the residual free nitrite in the NaOI-I hams. The TPP control hams in this test showed a relatively high stability on incubation also. It is because the TPP pickle was freshly made for this experiment and contained only 300 cells/ml. pickle. The TPP production plant pickle tested at the same day contained 225,000 cells/ml. pickle after the pickle was recirculated for 3 hours. No such build-up of bacterialpopulation can occur in the NaOH pickles because of their high pH. The pH values of the test 9 hams were all on the acidic side of the neutral point of pH 7.00 and did not differ greatly from the pH of the TPP control hams. This indicates that the ham substance had neutralized all of the added NaOH pickles to water and organic natural salts. A large quantity of the NaOH hams analyzed revealed not a single ham with a pH over 6.8.

EXAMPLE V This test was designed to demonstrate the usefulness of the NaOH pickle for processing sterile-cooked hams. Such hams are characterized by their shelf-stability with out refrigeration and are obtained by the thermal processing of the hams at a temperature over the boiling point of water. Such hams, although not requiring refrigeration, are processed in a small quantity only, because of their over-cooked inferior flavor and a very poor texture.

The green deboned hams were processed in the same way as described in Example IV. The control pickle contained 2.5% dissolved TPP, while the test pickle contained 1.0% dissolved NaOH pellets, based on the pickle weight. The hams were injecto-pumped to 20% weight, bulked, smoked, chilled, sectioned, and vacuum sealed in 1% lbs. oval tins. The thermal heat processing consisted of the autoclave cooking for 95 minutes under 15 lbs. steam pressure and 235 F. retort temperature. Table 6 represents the quality characteristics of the control and test hams.

1 Explanation given in Table I.

In the case of sterile-cooked hams, the NaOH hams were judged superior to the TPP control hams in the following qualities: yield out-of-can, texture, firmness, and the slicing quality. The control canned hams, subjected to 235 F. temperature treatment, rendered the product which was void of desired texture to the point that the hams were friable and unsuitable for slicing. Due to the greater resistance to the cooking shrink at higher temperatures (Table IV) the NaOH hams could withstand the 235 F. cook without shrinking to the point that the meat could lose all its binding characteristics required for the slicing. The sterile-cooked hams, processed with the NaOH pickle, even when they were made from several small pieces of the cured ham tissue, yielded the product that was held firmly together after cooking, chilling and slicing.

As indicated, the concentration of NaOH in this pickle is inversely proportional to the quantity pumped. Thus, a solution having 0.7% NaOH may be pumped in an amount of from 20 to 26% based on the weight of the ham. The excess moisture may be removed by low temperature smoking to reduce the amount of added weight to or to 10 8 to 10% as required by Government specifications for the particular cured product.

What we claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. In a process for preparing cured meat products from fresh meat by treating said meat with a curing solution consisting of sodium chloride, sugar, and a soluble nitric oxide-forming salt, the improvement comprising the steps of incorporating in said curing solution only sodium hydroxide in an amount sufficient to raise the pH of said solution to 11.5-12.0, and pumping said curing solution into the meat to thereby raise the pH of said meat to between 6.3 and 6.8.

2. In a process for preparing cured meat products from fresh meat by treating said meat with a curing solution consisting of sodium chloride, sugar, and a soluble nitric oxide-forming salt, the improvement comprising the steps of incorporating in said curing solution only sodium hydroxide in an amount of about 0.7-1.5% to provide a pH of 11.5-12.0 for said solution, and pumping said curing solution into the meat to thereby raise the pH of said meat to between 6.3 and 6.8.

3. In a process for preparing cured meat products from fresh meat by treating said meat with a curing solution consisting of sodium chloride, sugar and a soluble nitric oxide-forming salt, the improvement comprising the steps of incorporating in said curing solution only sodium hydroxide in an amount of l-1.5% to provide a pH of -120 for said solution, the sodium hydroxide concentration being inversely related to the percent of pumping, and pumping said meat with 10-20% of said curing solution to thereby raise the pH of said meat to between 6.3 and 6.8.

4. In a process for preparing cured meat products from fresh meat by treating said meat with a curing solution consisting of sodium chloride, sugar, and a soluble nitric oxide-forming salt, the improvement comprising the steps of incorporating in said curing solution only sodium hydroxide in an amount no greater than 0.7% to provide a pH of 115-120 for said solution, injecto pumping said meat with 2026% of said curing solution to thereby raise the pH of said meat to between 6.3 and 6.8, and then removing excess moisture from the cured meat by low temperature smoking to reduce the amount of added weight to less than 10%.

5. A meat curing aqueous solution consisting of sodium chloride, sugar, and a soluble nitric oxide-forming salt, and sodium hydroxide, said sodium hydroxide being present in said solution in an amount of 0.71.5% in order to provide the curing solution with a pH of 11.5-12.0.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,956,067 5/52 Brissey 99159 2,770,548 11/ 56 Hall et a1. 99-222 2,828,212 3/58 Sair 99222 2,937,094 5/60 Rupp et al. 99-159 2,977,235 3/61 Hanus et al 99-159 X 3,134,678 5/64 Wierbicki et al. 99159 A. LOUIS MONACELL, Primary Examiner.

HYMAN LORD, Examiner. 

1. IN A PROCESS FOR PREPARING CURED MEAT PRODUCTS FROM FRESH MEAT BY TREATING SAID MEAT WITH A CURING SOLUTION CONSISTING OF SODIUM CHLORIDE, SUGAR, AND A SOLUBLE NITRIC OXIDE-FORMING SALT, THE IMPROVEMENT COMPRISING THE STEPS OF INCORPORATING IN SAID CURING SOLUTION ONLY SODIUM HYDROXIDE IN AN AMOUNT SUFFICIENT TO RAISE THE PH OF SAID SOLUTION TO 11.5-12.0, AND PUMPING SAID CURING SOLUTION INTO THE MEAT TO THEREBY RAISE THE PH OF SAID MEAT TO BETWEEN 6.3 AND 6.8.
 5. A MEAT CURING AQUEOUS SOLUTION CONSISTING OF SODIUM CHLORIDE, SUGAR, AND A SOLUBLE NITRIC OXIDE-FORMING SALT, AND SODIUM HYDROXIDE, SAID SODIUM HYDROXIDE BEING PRESENT IN SAID SOLUTION IN AN AMOUJNT OF 0.7-1.5% IN ORDER TO PROVIDE THE CURING SOLUTION WITH A PH OF 11.5-12.0. 